The English Garden

Inspiration from Barnsley House, a luxury retreat hotel  in the Cotswold countryside.  

"Above our garden door, you'll find '1697' and 'BB' carved into the Cotswold stone.  The carvings mark the date Brereton Bouchier, Barnsley Village's squire, built the property..." -excerpt from Barnsley House HERITAGE

"...Centuries later in 1952, architectural historian David Verey and his wife Rosemary Verey, fell in love with the house and moved in.  As keen gardeners, both spent many hours transforming the grounds into a place that enjoys international acclaim for its beauty." -excerpt, Barnsley House HERITAGE

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Rosemary Verey

The Life and Lessons of a Legendary Gardener

by Barbara Paul Robinson

BOOK REVIEW by Dan McCarthy - Garden Designer to Prince Charles, Elton John, billionaires and everyman. - Rosemary Verey, in her forties; with no training in gardening; with only four acres in Cotswold; with scant financial support, metamorphosed into the undisputed Queen of traditional English Gardening.  She authored 18 best-selling books; advised fashion luminary Oscar de la Renta; was the 'must have' garden designer to HRH Prince Charles, Sir Elton John, King Hussein, American millionaires, billionaires and the New York Botanical Garden.  Verey transformed a small grass plot into arguably the most photographed garden ever; attracting 30,000 visitors annually...[Robinson] illuminates the personal characteristics that catapulted Verey from a supportive, compliant, impecunious housewife and mother of four, into the acclaimed authority on traditional garden design, recipient of the Order of the British Empire.  The author explains the appeal of Verey's self-effacing, empowering mantra; "If I can do it, so can you.  Just get on with it!"  {cont}

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"And Spring arose on the garden fair,

Like the Spirit of Love felt everywhere;

And each flower and herb on Earth's dark breast

rose from the dreams of its wintry rest."

~Percy Bysshe Shelley, 1820 The Sensitive Plant 

images via the Barnsley House website

and the Barnsley House facebook page.

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Books by Rosemary Verey (us)  ~ (uk) ~ (fr) ~ (ca) ~ (it) ~ (es)

More garden inspiration in the emporium
BOOKS:  Garden

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en amazon.es

garden inspiration, previous posts:

Patience, My Dear.

Spring

Jardins du Botrain

"If you build it...
Flowers in Profusion - Tasha Tudor's Garden in June

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natural treasures

Italian flat-leaf parsley, zucchini and sage from our garden.

Italian flat-leaf parsley from our garden,  my Grandmother's gathering basket.

One of my fondest memories is running through the large vegetable garden at my Grandparents' house. Rows of corn hid us from view and we could spend hours out playing in the small stream that ran through their property catching water skippers in glass jars and then letting them go.  When we needed a snack, we'd pick fresh peas off the vine and drink cold mountain spring water from the hose.  Nothing tasted better on a warm summer's day.

Considering it brought me so much joy in my childhood, I'm not sure why it took me so long to do my own vegetable garden. In California we have so many great farmers' markets and organic grocery stores, I guess it just never occurred to me that I could at least have a mini version of my own.  For whatever reason, I got the bug this season and began researching rooftop gardens.

I found a wonderful–certified organic–place near me in Los Angeles called "Two Dog Nursery".  The owner, Jo Anne, couldn't have been nicer and was quick to provide advice on every aspect of the process. I highly recommend working with her if you live in the area (or within shipping distance) and are interested in starting your own garden.  I know she offers classes for beginner gardeners and even hosts planting parties.–Sounds ideal for getting your children involved and interested in growing their own veggies.

I can't tell you how excited I was when I went up to check on the garden this past weekend. The zucchini plant had grown extra large, almost overnight it seemed. I had already harvested some parsley and sage and I was removing tree leaves that had fallen in to the beds and just doing general maintenance. I moved the giant zucchini leaves to one side, inspecting the blossoms and making a mental note that I needed to try a zucchini blossom recipe I brought home from a friend in Italy. I wasn't even looking for zucchini yet, so I practically jumped for joy when I discovered it.  I yelled down for Alex to come see, insisting that she make the climb up. . .that it wasn't enough that I just tell her about it.  (Admittedly, she was never quite as excited as I was about it, but seemed happy that it had made me so happy.)

Later, Alex made a delicious zucchini and shrimp pasta for our dinner. She and I laughed when we got to talking and learned that each of us had inspected it as it was cut open, looking for signs that it was, indeed, like the zucchini we were used to.  It just seems so miraculous when you get to have a hand in the process and to witness it all from beginning to end.—A tiny plant that grew so quickly and is now bestowing us with delicious, nutritious food.  A reminder to me that with all our "conveniences" in this world, we may miss out on some of the best experiences in life.  That appreciation and connection to nature–to the food we put in our bodies–is a gift that should be cultivated wherever possible.

I'm off to see if any new treasures await me!  

~Ciao for now.

images by LeAnn

Inspired:

Every natural fact is a symbol of some spiritual fact. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

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What do Abraham Lincoln, Anna Russian and Snow White have in common?...

...They're all tomatoes!

Like so many people I know who grew up in modern America, I had no fond feelings where tomatoes were concerned.  As a child, it was the worst possible torture to be made to finish eating them in order to be excused from the table.  Wedges in an iceberg lettuce salad were most often how they were presented.  Exasperated parents paid $1 per bite in the hopes of introducing me to something "good for me" that they were sure I just needed to "try once" in order to love.  It was a hard-won reward I remember that much.  Holding my nose and gulping large quantities of water afterwards to wash each awful bit down. 

I don't recall the age I was when my palate changed but I do remember the catalyst.  My Grandma Harris (an enlightened being and chef extraordinaire) served me tomatoes one afternoon when I had come for a sleep-over.  I realized I had a split-second decision to make.  Here I was with a plate of cottage cheese (okay, fine), hamburger patty (okay, better) and horror of horrors...sliced red tomatoes.  This person whom I admired and adored and whom I would never, ever want to insult had just set before me a plate containing this masquerading vegetable...this devious "pseudo-fruit"  I had previously ingested at home only after bribes and threats by my parents.

I suspect Grandma knew not to ask me beforehand.  She must have been aware that (at my age) I still hadn't developed a taste for them.  No kid I knew liked them.  Surely she knew.  I'm certain it was a sly ploy on her part.  Or, then again, maybe she just wanted to share her love of a particular food with someone she loved. In any case, I ate those tomatoes that day without any visible hesitation, without skipping a beat. 

Not only did I fear being rude, but that humble meal was so artfully arranged and placed before me that I found even those treacherous tomatoes appealing.  "It's all in the presentation" as they say and that simple little dinner remains one of the most delicious memories of my life.  

Fast forward to today and you will find me completely smitten with this delectable treat. My favorite version is the Italian way—in the form of a bruschetta topping (tomatoes, garlic, basil, olive oil, salt and pepper), heaped over toasted baguette slices or the same concoction tossed with unruly perciatelli pasta. And, of course, Caprese or burrata salads. 

Living in California has afforded many opportunities to try different varieties from the local farmers' markets. It's so much fun to sift through the selection. Heirloom tomatoes are such an odd-looking lot–misshapen and multi-colored, they are definitely not the bland, super-market reds that many people know as "tomatoes."

I particularly love the "pineapple" tomatoes in the first photo. I wasn't planning this photo shoot, I just couldn't resist running for the camera once I started to slice them into the bowl. Their look is truly deserving of the "fruit" category to which all tomatoes belong.  They have the visual appeal of a beautiful peach or nectarine and they are a delicious balancing point for marrying sweet and savory ingredients in a dish. 

Part of my love for Italy stems from how dedicated Italians are to using the freshest ingredients available. Produce is farmed locally and purchased daily for each meal. We aren't always so lucky here in the States where many weren't raised on the tradition of using fresh, locally grown produce. But, hopefully, more people are becoming aware of the benefits of this way of living.  I know I so appreciate the local farmers markets in my area.  I encourage you to support your local growers if you are fortunate enough to have any near you. Or, maybe even try to grow a few tomato plants if you can find the space–even just a container or two will suffice.  There's nothing like warm, fresh tomatoes right from the vine. Not to mention the gratification of growing your own food. 

Today, as I lingered over lunch–sopping up the tomato juice, basil and garlic-infused olive oil with the last crust of bread– I not only felt satiated; I felt healthy and–dare I say?– uplifted.  

You know? That "everything's right with the world" kind of feeling?  That's a lot of power packed in one little fruit.  

—Grazie Mille, Grandma! 

Shop seeds, baskets and 
other gardening displays

the emporium ~ GARDEN

Local Harvest - Farmers' Markets across the United States

Images:  1-4:  lb;  Image 5:  Hirts Seeds

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